Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Zine Review: Half-Gifts


Half Gifts
full letter
www.half-gifts.blogspot.com 

I’ve received three issues of this zine and they are all exceptional guides to homemade non-mainstream music, mostly released on cassette tape. The editor's note in issue 3 (titled Why Cassettes?) perfectly expresses why some of us still embrace lo-fi tapes in the digital age. All three issues of Half Gifts feature interviews with musicians and well conceived reviews. The writing in Half Gifts is engaging, even the zine title itself refers to a Cocteau Twins song (my 80's & 90's dreampop heroes - I miraculously got to see them live in concert once!) & the music reviewed drifts from shoegaze to pop, from indie to experimental. One in-depth article explores the evolving discography of The Softie's Rose Melberg. With one eye on the past yet firmly rooted in the present, there’s a lot of great new music to be discovered within the pages of Half-Gifts. Half-Gifts is a prime example of why music zines are still relevant. Highly recommended for us tapeheads and indie explorers.   

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